Coming Home
by illmatchtheminrenown
Summary: Post-WWI, the boys are coming home at last.


Despite the chill in the air, the docks were full of families, clinging together out of cold and nervousness. The first divisions were coming home, and the waiting crowds had gathered to welcome them back. In the middle of the milling mass of people stood a small family unit. The mother, with her glossy red-brown hair and girlish eyes, looked younger than her 39 years, though faint creases on her face betrayed the toll taken by the past few years. Clutching her hand was a young boy with a mop of red-brown curls. His sister, a slight but determined 16-year-old, kept smoothing her skirts anxiously. Taller than all of them despite his mere 14 years, the older son kept one reassuring hand on his mother's shoulder; with his messy dark hair and protective posture, he was the very image of his father. As they waited, another small group spotted them.

"Kath!" One of the men, a tousle-haired blond with a perpetually boyish face and a dignified-looking cane, hailed the mother. The children also turned. With a cry of, "Uncle Crutchie!", the youngest boy dropped his mother's hand and ran to hug the man. Katherine smiled, greeting his wife Mary, along with Sarah, still in her widow's black.  
"They should be here any minute. Les isn't with them, he'll be on the ship next Tuesday," she told them. Nearby, a photographer hovered; recognizing Katherine, he called out and tipped his hat to her, exchanging greetings. As he began to say something else, she was distracted by a hand on her shoulder- Crutchie. As she turned, she noticed more than ever how the creases on his face surpassed her own, despite being years younger. It had been hard on him- although the operation had mostly fixed his leg, he still relied on a cane a great deal of the time and was turned away from the army while the men who were still like brothers to him enlisted one by one.

"Look." He gestured towards the horizon, where the outline of a ship drew nearer and nearer. The boy clung tighter to his surrogate uncle, while his sister and mother held hands and the older boy laid a hand on each woman's shoulder.  
It seemed like an eternity before the ship finally docked, and then even longer until the first brown-clad figures descended to the cheering crowds. As more soldiers poured onto the docks, Katherine held her family together, wordlessly searching the sea of brown.

Suddenly, Sarah let out a cry from behind her. Moving towards them was a tall, slightly awkward man. Pushing forward, Sarah ran straight into her brother's arms. As the siblings embraced, Davey smiled at Katherine and Crutchie over his sister's shaking shoulder.  
At that moment, however, all else left Katherine's mind as a second figure- slightly thinner and with a telltale swagger- approached.

"Papa!" The young boy barreled forward into his father's waiting arms. The older boy cautiously approached. His father shook his hand, then, after an awkward moment, crossed the space between them and hugged him close. With an arm around each son, he approached the others. The girl stepped forward.  
"Father…" She choked, unable to do more than look at her father's face. For his part, he could hardly believe it- he had left a girl, and here was a young woman, looking so much like her mother had the first time he saw her on the streets of Manhattan. Carefully, he took her hands in his, then hugged her. Turning, he squeezed Mary's hand, then wrapped his best friend into an enormous hug. They parted, removing the last barrier between him and Katherine, who all this time had stood statue-still.  
Reaching up, he pulled his hat off. Katherine smiled- after all these years, he still looked so young without a hat. He, too, took in the sight of her, remembering that night on his old rooftop when he first learned that she loved him as much as he loved her.

Jack Kelly reached out to take his wife's hand.  
"Oh God, Katherine…" he started to say. She laced her fingers with his.  
"Can I interest you in today's news?" she asked, not quite meeting his eyes but smiling slightly. Jack grinned- that same cocksure grin he'd had since he was a teenager-as he recognized the line he had tried to use on her the first time they met.  
"What would that be?" Finally, she met his eyes.  
"I missed you, Jack Kelly," she said, matter-of-fact.  
"For sure?"  
"For sure."  
With that, Jack put one hand on Katherine's face, one on her waist, and kissed his wife deeply. After a moment, he pulled back just slightly. Keeping one arm tightly around his waist, he looked at the family gathered around them.  
"I met a fella from Santa Fe over there, you know. Told 'im I'd wanted to go there. He asked me why I stayed, what New York's got that his Santa Fe ain't."  
Katherine asked, "What did you tell him?"  
"Family."


End file.
